Apparatus foe conveying and automatically delivering



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. MULLER. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES.

No. 520,006. Patented May 15, 1894.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. MULLER.

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES.

No. 520,006. Patented May 15, 1894.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A.MULLER. APPARATUS FOR GONVBYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES.

No. 520,006. Patented May 15,184.

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nnnnnnnnnnnnnn (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

A.MULLER. APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES. No. 520,006. Patented May 15, 1894.

(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 5.

A. MULLER.- APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTIGLES.

No. 520,006. Patented May 15, 1894'.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUST MULLER, OF MAGDEBURG, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND AUTOMATICALLY DELIVERING SMALL ARTICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 520,006, dated May 15, 1894.

Application filed March 3, 1893. Serial No. 464,583. (No model.)

ful Improvements in Apparatus for Conveying and Automatically Delivering Small Art cles, of which the following is a specificatlon, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to apparatus designed for forwarding or distributing letters, printed matter and small articles generally, to various places, as for instance for transmitting mail matter to the upper floors of a building.

The object of the invention primarily is to fac litate the work of the postman and all others engaged in the delivery of letters, newspapers, or the like.

The apparatus consists mainly of a delivery car or receptacle divided into as many compartments as there are stories to the building to which the apparatus is applied. The several compartments are not connected to each other and each of them has its own operat ng mechanism provided with levers operating automatically to deliver the contents of the compartment at a given spot only.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Flgure 1, is aside elevation of the car showng the doors or flaps closed and the operatinglevers in working position. Fig. 2, is a similar view showing the upper flap open. Fig. 3, is a similar view showing the lower flaps opened at the moment when the catch or operating lever opens the flap of a chamber G to discharge the contents of the compartment into the said chamber. Fig. 4, is a side elevation with the doors or flaps closed and the catch levers out of operating position. Fig. 5, is a front view of the car, and Fig. 6, is an elevation of the side opposite to that shown in the first four figures with the flaps closed.

In the drawings the car is shown as having but two compartments but it will be readily understood that these are representative of any number which it may be found desirable to use according to circumstances. The car is guided in its upward and downward course by any suitable guides or ways and is elevated and lowered by any suitable hoisting mechanism, but as these form no part of my invention they are not shown herein. In one side of the car (see Fig. 6) are located the doors (I, (1, one for each compartment, through which doors the articles to be delivered may be placed in the respective compartments. The doors are held closed by swinging latches e pivoted upon the shafts f, which extend across the upper portion of each compartment. Each shaftf carries upon its opposite end (see Fig. 1) an arm g which is pivotally connected to a guide bar it which has a guiding slot at its opposite end engaging with a pin 1'. Above the slot on the guiding rod is located a pin 7.3. When the latch e is swung to one side to permit the door at to be opened the rocking of shaft flifts arm g and with it guide rod h and causes pin it to engage with a proj ection of catch lever c (see Fig. I) and force the upper end of said lever outwardly. When the door at is shut and the latch returned to its original position the bar h will also bereturned to normal position but catch lever 0 will re main in its working position, as shown in Fig. 1. To the projection of lever 0, before referred to, is secured one end of a link Z, the other end of which is connected to the end of a two armed rocking ratchet lever on, and thus the movement of the lever 0 just described brings the ratchet lever m into the position shown in Fig. 1. An arm 0 is mounted loosely on the shaft or pivot n of the lever m, and is out of contact with lever 'm during the first part of its movement just described. The said lever m carries a projection m on its inner side (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1), which, when the lever is in the position shown in Fig. 1 abuts against the arm 0, and, on the further movement of lever c as hereinafter described, swings arm 0 upon its pivot. The arm 0 is connected by a link or bar 19 to the flap so that the rocking of arm 0 will swing the flap a outward into the position shown in the upper part of Fig. 2. The upper flap b isconnected to the lower by links r so that the outward movement of the lower serves also to elevate the upper and completely open the front of the compartment. In order to open the flaps at the desired point suitable stops or projections may be provided on the guides or ways in which the car travels. I have indicated two of these stops at I and I I, the operation being as follows: In the upward movement ofthe car when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the catch lever c engages the spring 5, (see Fig. 3) and raises the lid B. Simultaneously the projection I I (see Fig. 1) engages the rear end of leverm depressing the same and throwing open the flaps and dumping the car. The continued upward movement of the car brings the projection I into contact with the forward end of lever m (see Fig. 2) which throws down the said end and brings the parts into the position shown in Fig. 3, at the upper part thereof, and in this position the parts are unaffected by any of the projections during the remainder of the movement of the car until the parts have been set again by inserting more mail through door d. As the action of the upper stop I on the levers brings them into the position shown in Fig. 3 in which position they are unaffected by any of the remaining stops this leaves the lever of the second or next lower compartment in a position to be emptied at the second floor and so on.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a delivery apparatus of the nature described, a car having a discharge door, mechanism for automatically opening the same, an inlet door, and connections operated from the inlet side of the car for setting said automatic mechanism, substantially as described.

2. In combination, the car having a series of compartments, inlet doors opening to the same upon one side, latches holding said doors closed, delivery doors located upon another side, mechanism for automatically opening said delivery doors and connections from the latches to said mechanism whereby the movement of the latches to open the inlet doors sets the automatic delivery mechanism, substantially as described.

3. In combination with the car having a series of compartments, inlet doors opening to the same upon one side, exit doors located upon another side, mechanism for automatically opening said delivery doors and shafts journaled in the upper part of each compartment, carrying latches upon one side for controlling the inlet doors and having connections with the automatic mechanism upon the other side, substantially as described.

4. In combination, the car having a serles of compartments, inlet doors located upon one side, delivery doors upon an adjacent side, mechanism upon the opposite side for automatically opening said delivery doors, a rocking shaft extending through the walls of each compartment carrying a latch upon one end for engaging the inlet door and an arm upon the other end, and connections from said arm for setting the automatic mechanism, substantially as described.

5. The carhavinga series of compartments, inlet and discharge doors located upon ad acent sides, and mechanism for automatically opening said discharge doors located upon the side opposite the inlet doors, comprising a two armed rocking lever m, a catch lever 0, having link connections with said rockinglever, an arm 0 loosely mounted upon the pivot of leverm having link connections with the delivery door and unaffected by lever m during the first part of its movement but engaging therewith during the latter part, a lifting bar h having connections to the latch of the inlet door and adapted to set said delivery mechanism in combination with stops I and I I acting successively upon opposite ends of the two armed lever to successively open and close said delivery door, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses,

AUGUST MULLER.

Witnesses:

PAUL FISCHER, PAUL BRINKMANN. 

